


The Horse was Spared

by Symphonic_Deception



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blind Character, One Shot, Plague, Short Story, Tragedy, devastation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 00:01:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9210938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Symphonic_Deception/pseuds/Symphonic_Deception
Summary: Only one thing is equal for all, and that is death.





	

          Inside the great stone walls was a city that reeked of death. The air was thick and poisoned. The sky above was forever dyed a black turquoise. It was a town left behind and forgotten by its neighboring counties. The few residents were beyond poor, their bones shown through their skin. They were waiting for death to finally release them from their suffering. All sense of hope had been abandoned. Many simply lie along the dirt road, staring into the distance as their flesh slowly died and turned black.

          A young boy named Nicolas, who was shabbily dressed, dragged a long sword with him as he walked aimlessly. The sword was drenched in dried blood and grime, but the steal beneath had not rusted or cracked. His eyes were a washed out grey, he could not see. All he knew was the feel of the harsh ground on his bare feet, sounds of suffering, the smell of death, and the sword in his hand.

          When one’s heart has been broken beyond repair, they will take one of three paths. The first, _empathy_ , is that of a person who becomes gentle towards the emotions of others. The second, _antipathy,_ is a soul that has blackened with rage and is jealous of the compassion, which causes them to shatter every heart that crosses their path. Nicolas experienced the third, _devastation_.

          For hours Nicolas had walked, the tips of his fingers were black and his breathing had become haggard. He often collapsed or ran into what was left of crumbling buildings. Finally, he had come to the steel gate built into the stone wall that surrounded the city. He could not see, but he could smell that the stench of rotting flesh was most prominent at this point. Up against the steel door was a wall of rotting corpses, both human and animal. They had been trying to claw their way up the towering walls, but to no avail. Nicolas shivered and tears burned his cheeks as he fell to his knees. It dawned on him that he would never be able to escape from this place, and with his dry voice he screamed into the sky. Everyone he had ever known was dead or dying.

          Then he heard the steps of a four legged creature come up behind him and nudge his shoulder. It was a snow white Friesian stallion that showed no signs of infection. Nicolas meekly wrapped his arms around the horse’s neck while grinding his teeth. “ _Why?”_ He thought. _“Why am I the only one left to suffer alone?”_ The stallion knelt before the boy and urged him to get on its back. Nicolas felt angered by the fact that a mere animal was offering him a sense of hope, but held his resentment down and mounted. The stallion glanced at the gate before galloping in the opposite direction. _“What are you doing, the exit is the other way,”_ he wanted to say, but his throat was too dry. The stallion ran through the mud, crumbling stone, and over the bones of the deceased. The stallion ventured to the very edge of the city where none of the residents dare go, because of the mad noblemen who had once resided there. Beyond what was left of the lord’s mansion was a large gap in great stone wall, allowing the two to leave the city.  The boy felt a gust of clean breeze and could hear the sound of waves, the ocean. When the stallion halted, Nicolas smiled. He then fell from the horse and into the golden sand. The stallion nudged his shoulder, but the boy did not react. The stallion lie beside the boy until its heart no longer beat.

\- End -

         

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
